Technologies

Hippos spew ‘tornado poo’ when they hear the voice of a hippo stranger

It might sound gross, but this knowledge could help with hippo conservation efforts.

When you hear a stranger’s voice, hopefully you don’t react by releasing «tornado poo.» Scientists have learned that hippopotamuses, however, have a tendency to defecate intensely upon hearing an unfamiliar hippo’s call. That might sound melodramatic, but it’s actually a way hippos mark their space. They’re known to be aggressive and males sometimes in engage in battle.

A study published in the journal Current Biology on Monday delves into the secret social lives of hippos. News portal Science Media Exchange, which published the Cell Press release on the study, seems to be the one that came up with the evocative «tornado poo» description. That phrase doesn’t appear in the paper, which prefers «dung spraying.»

The research took place in the Maputo Special Reserve in Mozambique. The reserve is home to multiple groups of hippos residing in different lakes, giving researchers the chance to record calls (hippos sound a loud «wheeze honk»)from animals that lived near each other, and from ones that were total strangers.

The researchers played the calls for the animals and monitored the reactions. «We found that the vocalizations of a stranger individual induced a stronger behavioral response than those produced by individuals from either the same or a neighboring group,» said co-author Nicolas Mathevon of University of Saint-Etienne, France. Hippos responded to the recordings by vocalizing back, approaching or spraying dung, or sometimes a combination of those behaviors. The hippos were more likely to unleash dung when hearing a stranger’s call.

The study could help when hippos need to be moved as part of efforts to conserve the species. «Before relocating a group of hippos to a new location, one precaution might be to broadcast their voices from a loudspeaker to the groups already present so that they become accustomed to them and their aggression gradually decreases,» Mathevon suggests. The same could be done for the hippos being moved, essentially a get-to-know-you effort on both sides.

Hippos are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which catalogs the conservation status of animals and plants. The researchers hope to learn more about how hippos communicate through future studies. They’re expressive animals, whether they’re using their mouths or a very different part of their anatomy.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for June 5, #459

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 459 for June 5.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Todays NYT Strands puzzle will take you back in time to your nursery-rhyme days. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Mary, Mary, quite…

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: How does your garden grow?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

GRAY, YARD, DRAY, DRAYS, YARDS, SALE, GALE, DELL, DELLS, LOCK, MAID, HELL, HELLS, KELL, KELLS, SOLE, SOLES

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you’ve got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

CONTRARY, SILVER, BELLS, PRETTY, MAIDS, COCKLESHELLS

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is GARDEN. To find it, start with the G that’s three letters down on the far-left row and wind across.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for June 5, #255

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 255, for June 5.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Do you know the NBA forwards and backwards? If so, you’ll score big on today’s Connections: Sports Edition. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Hoops teams.

Green group hint: B-ball characters.

Blue group hint: Oklahoma players.

Purple group hint: Indiana players.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: This year’s NBA conference finalists.

Green group: NBA mascots.

Blue group: Thunder stars of years past.

Purple group: Pacers stars of years past.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is this year’s NBA conference finalists. The four answers are Knicks, Pacers, Thunder and Timberwolves.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is NBA mascots. The four answers are Benny, Boomer, Burnie and Rumble.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Thunder stars of years past. The four answers are Durant, Harden, Ibaka and Westbrook.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Pacers stars of years past. The four answers are George, Miller, O’Neal and Smits.

Technologies

Report Finds Smartphone Sales Growth Dampened as Tariffs Threaten Price Hikes

Apple’s iPhone is expected to see a slump in sales growth this year while Samsung is predicted to remain stagnant.

President Donald Trump’s tariffs are causing a lot of concern and uncertainty about rising prices and new data suggests that global smartphone sales will suffer for it this year.

On Wednesday, market research firm Counterpoint released a report slashing its previous estimates for global smartphone shipments in 2025, from a 4.2% year-on-year increase down to 1.9%. While tariffs are not the only factor cited in the report, the firm primarily attributed this change to the «renewed uncertainties surrounding U.S. tariffs.»

Driving this decline in growth are dwindling outlooks for the two biggest global smartphone providers. Counterpoint cut its forecasted growth in sales for Apple from 4% to 2.5%. Tariffs or no, the company is still expected to debut a higher price later this year with the launch of its iPhone 17 line. Samsung, meanwhile, is now predicted to see sales remain stagnant, down from the previously forecast 1.7% growth.

Trump announced a barrage of tariffs in early April, causing widespread market turmoil and fear over price inflation, especially for popular tech products like smartphones. In response to those worries, the Trump administration later issued an exemption for smartphones and various other electronics, although it’s unknown if that will stick long term.

As Counterpoint noted in its report, sales for smartphones are still expected to decline this year owing to overall decreases in consumer spending caused by tariff uncertainties.

Representatives for Apple and Samsung did not immediately respond to requests for comment.